Studies show 1-in-10 kids have been diagnosed with ADHD

ADHD A TROUBLING DIAGNOSIS AFFECTING THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, ONE IN TEN CHILDREN IS CURRENTLY BEING TREATED AND THAT NUMBER IS EXPECTED TO KEEP RISING. MOST COMMON TREATMENT FOR ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPER ACTIVITY DISORDER, POWERFUL MEDICATION. BUT WHAT IF YOU COULD AVOID THE MEDICINE, EVEN THE DIAGNOSIS ALTOGETHER? IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE FOR A LOT OF PARENTS. DOCTORS SAY YOUR CHILD COULD HAVE A SLEEP DISORDER. HOW CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE? MORNING ANCHOR GOOD NIGHT AND SLEEP TIGHT, A TRAYS WE TELL OUR KIDS BEFORE THEY GIFT OFF TO SLEEP. DRIFT OFF TO SLEEP. THIS IS SOMETHING WE SEE PRETTY MUCH EVERY DAY. DR. AJAI A PEDIATRIC SLEEP DISORDER SPECIALIST SAYS NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP. THERE'S A REASON WE SPEND A THIRD OF OUR LIVES SLEEPING. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE GET SLEEP. FOR KIDS WHO AREN'T GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP, IT COULD BE THE CAUSE OF PROBLEMS BEYOND HEAVY EYELIDS. IMPULSIVE, FIDGETY, IRRITABLE, LEARNING POORLY IN SCHOOL. SYMPTOMS A LOT LIKE ADHD, THAT'S THE PROBLEM. NEW RESEARCH SHOWS MANY KIDS ARE BEING MISDIAGNOSED. I HAVE SEEN CHILDREN WHO HAVE COME IN HERE WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF ADHD, SOME OF WHOM HAVE BEEN PUT ON MEDICATION AND FOUND THAT THE CHILD HAS SLEEP APNEA OR CHILD HAD NARCOLEPSY OR SOME OTHER CONDITION. SOME PEDIATRICIANS AREN'T ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS, HE SAYS. STRESSING DOCTORS SHOULD ASK ABOUT SNORING ON EVERY VISIT. ANOTHER QUESTION IS THE ADHD MEDICATION YOUR CHILD IS TAKING IMPROVING THEIR BEHAVIOR? HAVE YOU INCREASED THE DOSE AND SEEN LITTLE EFFECT? WE TOLD THEM STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING, LET'S TREAT THE SLEEP DISORDER. WE TREATED THE SLEEP DISORDER. ALL THE SUDDEN, THEIR DIAGNOSIS DSAPPEAR. AT LEAST FIVE TO TEN PERCENT OF THOSE KIDS IN THAT CLASSROOM WILL HAVE SOME SLEEP DISORDER BREATHING. CHIEF OF PULMONARY MEDICINE SAYS RECOGNIZING SLEEP PROBLEMS IN KIDS CAN HAVE LASTING EFFECTS. IF YOU LOOK IN STUDIES AND LOOK AT KIDS IN THE BOTTOM THIRD IN A CLASSROOM, ABOUT OVERHALF THOSE KIDS WILL HAVE SOME SLEEP DISORDER BREATHING. IF YOU CORRECT THAT SLEEP DISORDER BREATHING, MOST OF THOSE KIDS WILL ACTUALLY END UP IN THE TOP THIRD OF THE CLASS JUST BY CORRECTING PROBLEMS WE TALKED ABOUT.

WINTER PARK, Fla. -

Studies show one-in-ten kids have been diagnosed with ADHD and according to the CDC that number is trending upward.

The common treatment--powerful medications.

But what if some of those kids are actually suffering from a different disorder all together? A sleeping disorder.

"Unfortunately, this is something we see pretty much everyday," Ajayi says. "I've seen patients come in on these drugs that did not need the medications. They needed a good nights sleep, they needed better quality sleep."

Ajayi says many pediatricians simply aren't asking the right questions when they see patients. He points to the American Academy of Pediatrics Journal which says pediatricians should ask about sleep problems at every visit.

He says simply asking the question, "does your child snore," opens the dialogue for talking about sleep. A problem he says often goes unnoticed.

He calls children's sleeping disorders, "orphan disorders," in that they happen while the child is usually alone.

"Most kids, they suffer with their sleep disorders alone. If they snore, they snore alone in their room. If they stop breathing, they stop breathing alone in their room, typically with no witness.

"We have patients come in almost everyday with those issues, where they have been struggling with a diagnosis of attention deficit disorder, kids being on multiple treatments or therapies and not having response," Livingston said.

He admits many of these symptoms are intertwined. making diagnosis that much more difficult. He says if there is any doubt a sleep study is recommended.

Dr. Carl Barr, Child Neurologist at Florida Hospital cautions that an ADHD diagnosis is very real and much more common than sleep disorders masquerading as ADHD.

"The symptoms of sleep disorders can look very much like ADHD and we do see that ,"he says, "But I think that if you're being evaluated by a skilled medical practitioner who's familiar with sleep issues as well as they symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, that it's not a high probability that you are going to have the two diagnosis confused. So again having proper evaluation is essential to getting the right treatment."

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